


Second Chance

by MachineryField



Series: Marching to the Beat (of Someone Else's Drum) [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alvis Cameo at the start, Canonical Character Death, Drowning, Egil (Xenoblade Chronicles) Lives, Gen, OCs play very minor roles, One-off lines from Reyn and Melia, Past Character Death, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: His eyes begin to close and he sees a green light twinkling before him. Without thinking, he reaches for it, wondering if the afterlife lies on the other side. As life finally leaves him, his fingers brush against the light and everything fades to white.(Or: in which Egil gets a second chance at life, and all the guilt that comes with it.)
Relationships: Egil & Fiora (Xenoblade Chronicles), Egil & Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles), Egil & Vanea (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Series: Marching to the Beat (of Someone Else's Drum) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058093
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii something that would have been way longer if I didn't cut myself off bc I really don't like writing long oneshots! Heed the tags and uhh... wahoo letsa go! Ylvex belongs to zanthe <3

Breathing hurts, burns as more water and ether force their way into his lungs as he opens his mouth. He doesn’t fight it -- he lets it happen. He’s done his part to stop Zanza, a fool until the end some may say. But that was fine, as long as Shulk and the others escaped.

But the pain still overwhelms as he struggles to stay awake. Lady Meyneth… soon, he would be with her again. A small mercy in the horror he’s created and been subjected to all at once.

His eyes begin to close and he sees a green light twinkling before him. Without thinking, he reaches for it, wondering if the afterlife lies on the other side. As life finally leaves him, his fingers brush against the light and everything fades to white.

\--

A gasp of breath and Egil finds himself opening his eyes once more -- something that should be impossible for a dead man. There’s sand beneath him and he stares at the sky, unable (or perhaps unwilling) to move. Glints of gold around him tell him the remains of Yaldabaoth (seemingly free of the Homs innards that once sat inside) are scattered nearby.

“Are you okay?” A small, childish voice tells him he’s not alone. He curses his memory for being so bad as he racks his brain for a name for the filtered voice, coming to nothing. “W… who are you?”

He groans as finally sits up, looking at the child. Their face holds no answers to who they are anymore than their voice, and he decides that one of the remaining Machina must have decided to have a child.

For a minute, he wonders if he should lie about who he is -- there is no doubt in his mind this child was told of what he did, and he doesn’t want to scare them… But no, he decides. If he does that, he is no better than Zanza hiding behind the face of Shulk. If he’s to be alive, he’ll have to face all he did.

Even if being alive felt so  _ wrong _ after he most certainly died.

“I am… Egil.” His voice is quiet, forced out when he wishes he could keep it in. “I’m sure you’ve been told of me, little one.”

The child gasps. “But we saw the Mechonis sink! A-and Junks hasn’t gotten back, so how…?”

Egil thinks of the green light that he’d touched the moment he died. “I don’t know.”

The child hums and seems to think. “Well… we should go to the Village, then! Doctor Linada can fix you up if you’re hurt.”

Egil furrows his brow. “Were you not told who I am? Just who are you?”

“I’m Menyx, and I know what you did, but…” The child trails off. “I wanna help you, anyway, okay?”

“...The Villagers raise their children to be merciful still, I see.” He looks into the distance and sighs. Nothing familiar as far as he can see. “You have a village here?”

“Mmhmm…” The child bites their lip. “They made it to, uh… hide from you.”

“I assumed as much.” He’d become as much of a blight as Zanza had in the past years, he’s already coming to accept that much. “And yet you invite me there anyway.”

“...If you don’t wanna hurt me, I figured you wouldn’t hurt them, either. No one would want you to get hurt and stay hurt.”

“...I don’t know if you’re all too kind for your own good or not.” He sighs, but finally, he’s able to stand. His legs shake and he feels sick, it’s like he’s walking for the first time once again. “But I suppose I’ve no reason to refuse your invitation.”

“We’re not too kind!” They huff, pouting up at him. “We’re the perfect amount of kind!”

“Whatever you say.” He shakes his head, not really believing that, but who knows. Maybe he’s just become more bitter than a Machina should ever be. “Let’s get going, hm? It seems like twilight is approaching.”

“Ah, yeah! It’s dangerous on the arm, especially at night when Volfs and Mechon can sneak up on you!” Menyx nods and turns their pod, the fan whirring as they start going forward. “Come on, this way!”

Egil says nothing and simply follows.

\--

It takes hours, but they finally make it to the Village of the Machina, Egil carrying Menyx on his hip as the child sobs and cries. The later it had gotten and the more dangerous it had become, the less Menyx had been willing to move forward. It hadn’t taken long for Egil to pull them out of their pod and pull it along, holding them and allowing them to let out all their emotions. And it had paid off, he thinks, as he steps into the village.

Machina and Homs alike see him and start yelling and rushing around. Menyx continues to hold onto him and pats his chest, as if trying to comfort him, though he does not need it. He understands the panic and does not blame them. With all he’s done, it’s to be expected.

“Looks like Junks still isn’t here.” Menyx speaks. “It’ll be okay, though. We can relax until they get back and then Doctor Linada can help you.”

He nods, but when a familiar purple-clad Machina begins to approach, he feels like he’ll need more help than Linada can give him. He turns quickly and places Menyx back in their pod, closing it tightly before turning to face him again.

“Ylvex.” He says, giving him a nod.

“Egil.” Ylvex nods back before pulling his fist back and punching him square in the jaw.

Egil accepts the sweet embrace of nothingness as he falls backwards, losing consciousness.

\--

When Egil comes to, he’s laying on a medical bed in what must be Junks. Linada is nearby, looking at a screen and mumbling to herself, and he decides against saying anything. He listens closely and hears Menyx yelling at Ylvex, as well as other voices. For a minute, he thinks of getting up and trying to sneak out, but then Linada turns.

“Egil.” She nods at him.

“Linada.” He nods back, and wonders if he’ll be punched out again.

Instead, Linada makes her way down the stairs without another word. When she returns, she’s not alone. The first one into the medbay, in fact, is Vanea. She runs across the floor and throws herself into Egil’s arms, sobbing.

Her voice is broken up with sobs. “Oh Egil, I thought I would never see you again.”

Wrapping an arm around her, he sighs, rubbing her back. “I… never thought I would see anyone again. I’m glad to see you unharmed, Vanea.”

“Egil, never do something so stupid again!” She tightens her grip and he sighs as he hears footsteps alerting him to more people appearing.

Soon enough, Vanea is not the only one hugging him. Fiora, the Homs who once held Lady Meyneth within her body, lunges in as well and clings to him. Crying with emotions she must have gained through all shared with her by the goddess. He feels guilty, so he rubs her back with his other hand.

Then, his eyes land on Shulk, whose lower lip quivers.

“Egil.” His voice shakes with emotion. “I thought you died.”

Egil sighs, looking away. “I did, for a moment. But I suppose this world had other plans for me.”

“You died?” The big Homs with muscles too large for Egil’s tastes crosses his arms with a frown. “I can believe that much, but how’d you come back?”

Egil shakes his head. “I don’t know. One moment, I was drowning at the bottom of the endless sea, the next, I woke on the Fallen Arm.”

“How strange…” Melia, the High Entia travelling with them (still shockingly humanoid), crosses her arms. “Could it be a side effect of the changes Zanza is bringing to the world?”

Egil frowns deeply. “I do not appreciate the thought of my survival being tied to that god. It is already bad enough knowing I am allowed to continue to live while Lady Meyneth…”

His voice cuts off with a choked sob held in. Fiora’s grip on him tightens and he can feel her shaking under his hand. She’s hurting, and he’s likely brought the hurt back… He feels horrible, but it’s too late to take it back now.

What’s more pain to what he’s already put her through by turning her into a killing machine, after all?

“She wouldn’t want you thinking like that.” Shulk speaks as he notices the way Shulk’s gaze shifts to Fiora. “Any of you. She gave her life so we could keep going…”

“You’re right.” Fiora speaks and looks at Egil, both she and Vanea releasing him. “Maybe she’s even the reason you’re still here, just like she’s the reason I’m still here.”

Her voice is strong, but he notices how her lower lip trembles. She feels as guilty as he does about this, he can’t help but think, but he holds his tongue. It’s not his place to make assumptions.

“I suppose so, but that doesn’t seem fair. After all I did, the least I could do is pay it back in full with my death.” He looks at his hands, ignoring the way Vanea’s body slumps in response to what he said. “Living when so many I hurt do not… it feels wrong.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Fiora shakes her head, moving to grab his hand. “You did horrible things, no doubt, but now that you’re alive you can help make amends! There’s still a god that needs his arse whooped, you know! For Meyneth.”

“And my people.” Melia adds on, hugging herself with a grimace.

“Not to mention all the Machina n Homs also affected by his plans.” Reyn rubs under his nose with a nod. “No point in sittin’ around feelin’ sorry for yourself when you can help put some things right.”

Shulk nods and holds out a hand, a small smile on his face. “Besides, we still have that peace to live in once again, don’t you think?”

Fiora releases Egil’s hand as he thinks and lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Finally, a small smile comes to his lips and he takes Shulk’s hand. Actually feels how warm the Homs is and how calloused his hands are. 

As they grip hands and shake on it, Egil feels that maybe there is a peace he can live in. A future Lady Meyneth could be proud of.

\--

“You feel bad too, don’t you?” Fiora comes to sit next to Egil and leans against the side of the bed as he once again lays in the bed. “About living when Meyneth didn’t.”

“So you feel guilt over it too… I thought so.” Egil sighs, turning his head to look at where she sits. “...But you, Fiora, haven’t done anything wrong. You so willingly helped Lady Meyneth, tried to reason with me, tried to keep me alive despite all I had done…”

Compared to all he’s done, Egil can’t help but think as if Fiora is like an angel. Someone so willing to forgive the sins of others, to try and understand and move forward… He wonders if his head would have fallen to the bottom of the Core had she not called out to Shulk.

He wonders if that would be a better or worse fate than this -- dying unrepentant or living with all the guilt. Which was more of a hell, he wonders.

“I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t stop Shulk from being shot, and I couldn’t convince you no matter how hard I tried. No matter how much Meyneth shared with me…” She places her hand where Meyneth’s Monado once sat and sighs. “Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong, but maybe I didn’t do enough. If I had fought a bit harder…”

“Zanza is not someone anyone can defeat alone, Fiora.” He shakes his head. “That is why I went into battle against him as he awoke knowing I would die… Why being alive now feels so wrong.”

“A goddess, a broken girl, and a man consumed with revenge all fight a god and only the goddess dies.” Fiora lets out a hurt laugh. “Funny how things work out sometimes, don’t you think?”

Egil closes his eyes. “I suppose it is. I just want to assure that by the end of it all, it’s not only that man who stands alive.”

“Egil--”

“I know you’re dying, Fiora. Those bodies are not built to last.” He looks over at her and finds her now kneeling next to him, their eyes locking. “Without the soul of Lady Meyneth within you, without her Monado, you are running on borrowed time.”

“Melia wasn’t the only one to notice then, huh…?” Fiora reaches down and touches the place where the Monado used to sit once again. “I’ll be fine, Egil. At least, long enough to stop Zanza. I’ll be there to the end, so…”

“You should do what you can to… survive longer than that, then.” He looks away, forcing selfish words out of his mouth. “Don’t you go dying on me like Lady Meyneth did.”

Fiora rests her head against his arm. “Okay, Egil, I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Any thoughts about this would be super cool to hear. I have more thoughts of how this lil AU would go but I'd love to hear what others think of what's out there now.


End file.
